Mike Norvell on McKenzie Milton, performance vs. Notre Dame

College football saw a lot of tight, exciting games throughout opening weekend. Sunday night’s matchup between Florida State and Notre Dame might end up being the game of the year across the nation. Notre Dame led by 10 points late, but McKenzie Milton made his return to football after suffering a devastating leg injury in 2018. Milton led Florida State on two scoring drives to force overtime. Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell was happy to see his quarterback come in and compete in the way that he did last night.

Norvell: Milton is somebody you cheer for

When Milton suffered his leg injury at Centra Florida in 2018, there were concerns that he would never be able to walk again or that he could lose his leg entirely. Less than three years later, Milton took the field in a primetime matchup and led his team to a miraculous comeback effort against a top ten team.

“McKenzie is a great competitor,” Norvell said to reporters after the game. “As he went into this week, he just continued telling coaches, ‘I’ll be ready. I’ll be ready.’ You never know when that opportunity is going to present itself. Jordan (Travis) had a couple things happen there late and McKenzie came in and he was ready. He prepared well, he was such a wonderful competitor. It was great to see him go out there and compete. Everybody knows his story and all that’s gone into it. He’s somebody that you cheer for. Just a special young man and just to see him rise up in that moment, really proud of him.”

Milton completed 5 of his 7 pass attempts for 48 yards in his Florida State debut. The deficit was 38-28 when Milton took over. He completed his first pass for 22 yards and led the offense on a touchdown drive to make it a three-point game. Florida State got the ball back quickly and Milton led the offense on a field goal drive to send the game into overtime. Notre Dame ultimately won 41-38 in overtime, but Milton’s efforts were extraordinary.

Jordan Travis started at QB for FSU

Travis got the nod as Florida State’s starter, and he saw mixed results throughout the night. He completed nine of his 19 passes for 130 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Travis also rushed for a touchdown. Late in the game, Travis saw his helmet pop off after taking a hit and he had to go to the sideline for a play. When Milton went in, though, it marked the end of the night for Travis.

“I think Jordan did a lot of good things tonight,” Norvell said. “I mean he made a lot of plays or some things that were challenges. As we went through the game, Jordan was able to extend plays. He was able to hit some big throws down the field. When he got late in the game and he was unavailable, McKenzie came in and answered the call. A lot of focus goes on that position for what it is and what it does, but we all have the same responsibility to just be prepared and go out there and execute at a high level and I thought McKenzie did that. I thought he executed a very high level. It was impressive to see coming in late in the game like that, but he put himself in position to be able to achieve that.”